


This Seemed More Fun

by ChocolateAndRedbull



Series: D-Daddy? [6]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Fever, Gen, Hurt Peter, Hurt Peter Parker, Kid Peter Parker, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark Friendship, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker fever, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Bruce Banner, Protective Tony Stark, Sick Character, Sick Peter, Sick Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27714931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateAndRedbull/pseuds/ChocolateAndRedbull
Summary: When Tony finds Peter on the bathroom floor instead of in bed, he does everything he can to care for him, regardless of how difficult it might seem
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: D-Daddy? [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814392
Comments: 2
Kudos: 171





	This Seemed More Fun

Tony stood in the kitchen, mulling over whether or not he was going to approach his twelve year old son and ask him what was bothering him. He’d been quiet since he came home from school that afternoon, and he had barely touched his dinner, which really wasn’t like him. He was just about to go searching for the kid when he heard Pepper rush down the hallway and stick her head through the door.

“Oh, there you are,” she panted, “Peter’s throwing up.”

“Shit,” Tony muttered, placing the dish onto the countertop and quickly making his way towards his son’s bedroom. 

“Petey?” he called as he stepped into the room. He was greeted by a small splash of vomit on the floor and the sound of coughing from the adjoining bathroom.

“I’m going to get started on the cleanup,” Pepper said quietly, turning back towards the door in search of a mop.

Tony pushed open the door to find his scrawny son trembling in just his pyjama pants, bracing himself over the toilet as he wetly coughed up another mouthful of vomit.

“D-Dad,” he choked, not looking up from the toilet as he forced a rough sounding gag. “I don’t feel well.”

Tony crouched down beside him, placing a hand on the kid’s bare back and grimacing at the child’s temperature. He used the hand to pull the kid towards him and placed a kiss into his hair. “Yeah, you sure don’t, huh kiddo?” he hummed.

Peter panted in his father’s embrace before he released a guttural choking noise and threw himself forward to heave. 

“Just get it all up, buddy, don’t worry about anything else right now,” Tony murmured, rubbing the kid’s back comfortingly.

Peter just responded with a deep heave, grunting as more and more vomit forced its way from his mouth.

A good ten minutes passed before Peter felt like his stomach was calm enough to sit back and slump against his father’s chest. 

Tony carded a hand through his sweaty curls as he hummed comfortingly. “What brought this on, bud? You been feeling sick for long?”

Peter took a few shaky breaths before he could answer. “There’s something going ‘round at school,” he mumbled. “Half the grade is home sick.”

“And you thought you’d join them?” Tony hummed teasingly. 

“Seemed like a fun way to spend the night,” Peter mumbled with smile.

Tony huffed out a laugh. “Hey, if you were bored we could’ve gone to see a movie or something.”

Peter shifted against his father’s chest. “With you? This seemed more fun.”

Tony swatted at the kid’s arm. “Brat,” he laughed. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, Tony twirling his fingers through Peter’s mop of curls to the point where he almost thought the kid was asleep. At least until he grunted and pushed himself away from his father, mumbling “Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out-”

“Pete? You okay?” Tony asked cautiously.

Peter’s hands went to his waistband and Tony quickly got the message. “Alright, buddy, shout if you need anything,” he nodded before quickly making his way out of the bathroom. 

“Everything alright?” Pepper asked, startling Tony who had his back to the room. Tony turned to see her stood with the mop, the floor now vomit free and he wondered what he did to deserve her.

“He’s um- he’s just-“ Tony grimaced. “Remind me to make sure we have enough toilet paper.” 

Pepper seemed to get the message. 

“Should I call Bruce? He’s only down in the lab, I’m sure he won’t mind,” she suggested, and Tony couldn’t deny the feeling of comfort he felt knowing that the doctor was near. 

“Uh, yeah, I think so, just to be sure it’s not something more serious,” Tony nodded.

Pepper smiled at him before picking up the mop bucket and heading towards the door. “I’ll let him know.”

—————

Having a doctor is the house was a godsend, Tony had decided. Not only did he genuinely enjoy the man’s company, but with a kid? Tony was clueless when it came to being sick. 

Their first week together, all those years ago, Peter cried and suffered from stomachaches and their subsequent problems constantly. Bruce took one look at the then five year old and suggested lactose intolerance and one dairy free mac and cheese later the tears suddenly stopped. 

Tony could have kissed him.

Since then, Tony accepted that there were some things that he didn’t know about and gladly let Bruce take the reins.

Tony knocked lightly on the bathroom door. “Buddy? Can we come in?”

A weak sounding “uh-huh” came from inside.

Tony pushed the door open to find his son, pale and sweaty, curled up on the bathroom floor with a towel under his head, his bare chest pressed to the tiles in an attempt to cool down.

There was a splatter of vomit on the toilet seat, the floor beside it, and remnants of it on his chin.

“Oh, buddy,” Tony hummed, moving towards his boy in an attempt to comfort him.

Peter just blinked tiredly, “‘M sorry,” he mumbled.

Tony shushed him. “We can clean it up, kiddo, don’t worry about it.”

Peter shifted his gaze from his father to Bruce, who stood in the doorway with a kind smile. “Hey, Petey, your dad said you’re not feeling too good, huh?”

Peter just shook his head, letting his eyes slide shut.

“Well, we’ll hopefully fix that soon,” he said, pulling a thermometer from the cabinet. “Can you tell me roughly how long you’ve been throwing up?” 

“Um...” Peter trailed off, unsure of how much time had passed. 

“Since around 9:30? Maybe?” Tony guessed. 

Bruce nodded. “And, I know this isn’t a nice question, Pete, but how long have you been having diarrhea?” 

Tony grimaced sympathetically as the kid squirmed beside him. 

“Since about 10, I think,” Tony supplied, but Peter shook his head.

“N-No, um, since I came home from school. Wasn’t that bad until a bit later,” he admitted.

“Pete, you could’ve said something if you weren’t feeling good,” Tony hummed. 

Peter just hiccuped sickly. “Thought it would just go away.”

Tony just rubbed a hand across the kid’s arm as Bruce took his temperature.

“101.9,” he hummed. “Have you had anything to drink?” 

Peter nodded. “It, uh, hasn’t really been staying down, though.”

Bruce hummed sympathetically. “Alright, Petey, you’re gonna be just fine, but we might be in for a bit of a rough night until it passes.”

Peter just nodded tiredly, teeth chattering as his entire body suddenly trembled with chills.

Pepper, who had been watching from the doorway, disappeared and quickly returned with a pyjama shirt. Tony nodded his thanks as Peter slowly sat up.

Tony held the shirt out, ready to help him, when the kid froze.

“Pete?” he asked, afraid of what he knew was coming.

Peter stayed as still as he could, his eyes wide before he threw himself over the toilet, his hand slipping slightly on the vomit from his previous bout before he got a solid grip and he coughed up another round of vomit with a grunt.

“Alright, sweetie, you’re alright,” Tony soothed as the kid heaved in front of him.

Peter just coughed and retched until he felt like he could sit back, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. 

“You good, buddy?” Tony hummed. 

Peter just nodded tiredly, letting his eyes slide shut as Tony maneuvered him into his shirt. 

“Alright, let’s go,” he said, guiding Peter into a standing position and wrapping his arm around the boy.

Pepper had his bed ready for him, complete with his water bottle and a basin on the floor beside him.

“You’ll let Friday know if you need something, okay, sweetie?” Pepper checked, running her hand through his hair. Peter’s eyes opened and found his dad, silently pleading.

“I think I might stay here with him,” Tony said, giving Pepper and Bruce a knowing look. “Just to keep my own mind at ease.”

Peter visibly relaxed at that. 

“I’m just going to get ready for bed, buddy, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Tony assured him.

Peter nodded, still not happy that he was going to be left alone, even if it was for a short amount of time.

Tony could see his hesitation. “Five minutes,” he said genuinely. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be back.”

Peter nodded again, rolling onto his side and curling up in a ball. Tony took that as his cue to go before he changed his mind.

Once out the door, Tony looked to Bruce.

“Let him rest, Tony. When his stomach settles we can get some medicine. Relax, it could be a lot worse,” Bruce assured him. 

Tony nodded nervously, “I just hate seeing him like this.”

“No one likes to see him like this,” Pepper assured him. “Go and sit with him, I’ll finish cleaning up.”

Tony nodded. “You’re a lifesaver.” 

Pepper just smiled at him and the trio parted ways. Tony rushed down the hallway to his bedroom to change out of his jeans and was back in front of Peter’s door as quickly as he could be.

Tony knocked lightly on the doorframe before pushing it open slightly. “Petey? You okay?”

A small “y-yeah,” came from the lump under the covers. 

Tony made his way over to the bed and gently lay down beside the boy. “You feeling any better, bubba?”

Peter just shrugged before burying his head in his father’s chest. “You can rest now, buddy, you’re okay,” Tony hummed.

——————

The next thing Peter was aware of was searing pain all over his body. His skin was burning and the chills that shook him to his core told him that he was freezing.

He wrapped the comforter around himself even more, shaking violently as the cold made his mind foggy.

He knew couldn’t stay like this, he needed help. 

“D-D-Dad?” he ground out. “D-Daddy,” Peter whimpered.

Nothing but a snore from the sleeping form of his father. 

Moving his arm from underneath the blanket was out of the question. His mind was cloudy enough that figuring out his next move was becoming more difficult by the second.

Peter was just about to call out again when Friday’s alarm sounded. 

Both Tony and Peter jumped at the noise. 

“Doctor Banner is being alerted, boss. Shall I wake Ms Potts?” 

Tony, wide awake and on alert, looked around for the threat before his eyes fell on his son beside him. 

“Shit,” he muttered. “Yeah, Friday, all hands on deck.” He shot up from where he was lying beside him and crouched over his son. “Petey? Petey, it’s okay, you’re okay,” Tony assured him.

Peter just whimpered unintelligibly.

Tony yanked the blanket away from his son’s trembling form and his heart broke as the boy suddenly cried out and began to sob, curling in on himself even more than before. 

“D-Dad-“ he grunted, his skin burning from the exposure to the cool air in the room.

“Petey, it’s okay, buddy. Bruce is gonna get that temperature down,” Tony insisted, trying desperately not to panic.

Peter was curled up in the bed looking as if he’d just been dunked in a swimming pool with sweat. He was trembling like a leaf as the chills shook him senseless.

Tony placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder but Peter just sobbed harder and pushed him off, his skin overstimulated with the astronomical fever.

Tony was at a loss for what to do when Bruce burst through the door in his pyjamas, a StarkPad in his hands, looking down at the device displaying the boy’s vitals with worry across his face. Pepper skidded into the room in her slippers seconds after.

“Pepper, run us a lukewarm bath, please,” Bruce delegated, his eyes moving from the StarkPad to the boy sobbing on the bed. 

“Petey, you’re gonna be okay,” he assured, before heading straight into the bathroom, returning moments later with a basin of water and an armful of towels.

“No, you can’t-” Tony began, before Bruce placed a wet washcloth across the boy’s forehead. Peter just sobbed harder, his breath hitching as he tried to sluggishly pull away from the doctor.

“St-Stop-“ he sobbed desperately, swatting at the cloth that was continuously pressed to his neck.

“Bruce-“ Tony pleaded, his heart breaking at the boy’s sobs. 

“We have to get his temperature down, Tony,” Bruce said sternly, but his eyes were sympathetic. “Help me get these clothes off.”

Working together, Bruce and Tony peeled the sweat-soaked pyjamas from the boy’s frame as he squirmed tiredly. Bruce then picked him up, putting more effort into steeling his features as the boy cried at his touch. 

“Just relax, Petey, you’re gonna be okay,” he soothed. 

Getting the kid across the room to the bathtub was easy, but getting him to get in was proving to be more difficult. The boy thrashed and sobbed every time he came into contact with the water.

Pepper stood back, giving the men more room, her eyes filled with tears as she watched the normally quiet boy howl in Bruce’s arms. 

“Pete, come on, buddy-“ Tony strained, “You’ll be okay, I promise.”

Bruce eventually forced the lethargic boy into the water, heart breaking as he continued to fight against him to get warm. Peter made to claw his way over the side of the tub when Tony suddenly shucked off his shirt and hopped in beside him.

Tony clutched the whimpering boy to his chest, shushing him as he weakly fought against his grasp, not even batting an eye when Peter’s sobs cut off to cough up a small amount of stringy bile onto his father’s chest.

“You’re okay, buddy,” Tony hummed, clutching him tighter as the trembled against him. “You’re alright.”

Tony continued murmuring reassurances into his son’s ear as he whimpered, Pepper gently wiping the sweat from his face with a damp washcloth. Bruce stood leaning against the doorframe, staring down at his StarkPad, watching Peter’s vitals slowly but surely climb back to semi-regular figures.

Tony rocked his boy back and forth as his chest hitched with stuttering breaths, humming quietly as the boy’s heart rate slowly evened out. 

Tony had almost dozed off when Bruce finally spoke up. 

“How about we get him back to bed?”

Peter, who barely reacted to the news, was helped into a standing position by Tony and Pepper, before being quickly dried off and dressed in a pair of cotton shorts. Tony dried his feet and made his way back to his own room, changing into a fresh pair of pyjamas and rushing back to find his boy curled up in bed, face pale but cheeks flushed. Pepper sat beside him, gently pulling the damp curls from his face as he blinked tiredly. 

Bruce approached him with his eyes still on the StarkPad. “I’ve, uh, I’ve given him something to keep the fever down, he should sleep through to the morning.”

“Thanks for this, Bruce, I really appreciate it,” Tony said genuinely, smiling softly at Peter fighting to keep his eyes open.

“It’s no problem, really. I hate seeing him like this as much as you do,” Bruce said, pushing his glasses further up his nose. “I’ll let you get back to sleep, I’ll come check on you guys in the morning,” and with that he was gone, quickly followed by Pepper who reminded them that she was just down the hall should they need anything.  
-  
When Tony woke up, it was to Peter blinking lazily at him from where he was curled up on the bed. Tony gently reached a hand out and let out a sigh of relief at the lowered fever.

“How’re you feeling, bubba?” he whispered.

Peter stared at him, obviously exhausted as he tried to get a grasp on his surroundings. “M’tired,” he mumbled eventually.

“That’s normal, buddy, you can go back to sleep,” Tony hummed, brushing a stray curl from the boy’s face.

“W’happen’d?” he murmured, eyes already closing. 

“Just a fever getting a bit too high, buddy, but it’s over now, don’t you worry,” Tony soothed, allowing the boy to bury into his side in search of comfort. 

“You’re gonna be just fine, bubba, it’s over now.”


End file.
